Meeting with the Foreign Secretary to discuss Palestine

Last week, I met with the Foreign Secretary to address the urgent situation in Palestine. During our discussion, I conveyed the concerns of constituents regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the Israeli blockade restricting aid access to Gaza.

Today, on the 10th of June, the government has rightly placed sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, extremist members of Israel’s cabinet. This is something I have explicitly called for in Parliament: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

These sanctions have been coordinated alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, and I hope that other partners will join with this action.

In addition to playing central roles in supporting the expansion of illegal settlements, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have consistently incited extremist violence and appalling policies. Bezalel Smotrich recently spoke in support of Israeli forces ‘cleansing’ Gaza, ‘destroying what’s left’, and relocating Palestinians outside of the territory. Ben-Gvir has opposed even the utterly inadequate flows of life-saving aid that Israel has allowed into Gaza, describing them as a ‘serious and grave mistake’.

Decisive action must be taken against those who incite extremist violence and perpetrate serious violations of human rights.

This is a very welcome step, and the government must keep using every diplomatic and legal tool to hold Israel to international law, protect civilian lives, and move towards recognising the State of Palestine. These are essential steps to achieving a two-state solution and peace.